Wriggle & Rhyme: Active Movement Through Music

 The aim is to provide positive movement experiences to stimulate development of both the brain and body, using a range of music and movement, as well as informing parents/caregivers on the importance of Active Movement in the early years of a child’s life.

Active Movement is about engaging children in quality physical movement experiences which develop and enhance the spiritual, emotional, social, cognitive, and physiological growth of the child. It embodies the whole child. Music is a fantastic learning tool as it is not only fun but also very educational as it allows a child to develop:

• Hand-eye coordination
  
• Spatial awareness
  
• Rhythm
  
• Cross-patterning (an essential skill required for literacy and mathematics later at school)
  
• Gross motor skills such as jumping, hopping, catching, and kicking which require a good understanding of timing; developed from the rhythm and beats of varying music
  

By combining movement and music together through finger plays, songs, and rhymes, important connections in the brain are developed. Every movement experience we provide for children helps to make the connections between the left and right hemispheres more efficient. Additionally, it allows information to be processed simultaneously and coordinates it together, therefore helping children to think more efficiently.

As adults, it is our responsibility to ensure our children are surrounded with movement-rich environments that provide them with multisensory experiences throughout their early developmental years. Wriggle & Rhyme is a great way of providing them with these experiences and we have found that children and parents love the sessions.

Kerri Maclennan   |   Sport Otago Active Movement Advisor

We embarked on our Wriggle & Rhyme journey with Sport Otago, in October 2011. Each week, during the school year, babies arrive with their Mums, Dads, Grandparents and carers in tow to enjoy 30 minutes of active movement fun with music.

Choosing from the library’s varied collection of CDs for babies; we have no shortage of music, nursery rhymes and action songs for Wriggle & Rhyme each week. This combined with the weekly programme plans, plus training from the Sport Otago Active Movement Advisor, ensures a consistent series of 10 programmes each school term.

As well as being enjoyable for babies, much is gained toward the development of language and literacy through the repetitive nature of nursery rhymes and action songs combined with the movement. Along with music CDs, a collection of books is displayed at Wriggle & Rhyme each week for babies to engage with and to borrow. The Wriggle & Rhyme Programme is a wonderful way to introduce babies, to the library’s collections and resources.

Dunedin Public Libraries Wriggle & Rhyme Programme runs at the City Library, Moray Place on Tuesdays, 10.30am – 11.00am and at Mosgiel Library, Hartstonge Ave on Thursdays, 11.00am – 12.00 noon, excluding the school holidays.

Su Ikin  |  Youth Outreach Coordinator